


Secrets Under Stars

by shiny_corvid



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fluff, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Mild Spoilers, Post-Time Skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-27
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-10-29 03:28:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20789864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shiny_corvid/pseuds/shiny_corvid
Summary: Marianne had not planned on confessing any more than her feelings that night, but with the uncertainty of tomorrow she supposed that there was no better time to share her greatest secret than on the eve of their final battle.





	Secrets Under Stars

Night had fallen over camp, the lights of Enbarr looming in the distance. In a few hours the Kingdom army would be marching straight for the city to take on the Emperor and finish the fight with the Adrestian Empire once and for all. Most of the soldiers who were not on guard duty were already in their tents to rest for the night, the campfires now piles of embers burning with fading light. The only other light came from the moon and stars above.

In the darkness of her tent, Marianne could not sleep. Anxiety was expected on nights like these, and she was no stranger to sleeplessness. On a typical night, she used to take walks or pray to the goddess during these times. However, with the end of the war looming over her, Marianne had one thing lingering in her mind. There were a lot of things that Marianne had left unsaid in her life, but she could no longer let her feelings for Dimitri go unrequited. She left the privacy of her tent, treading carefully to avoid detection from any fellow soldiers that may still be wandering the camp.

Maybe it was her insomnia, maybe it was her fear of dying tomorrow and breaking her promises, but tonight she was feeling uncharacteristically bold. She was close enough with Dimitri to know that he would likely still be awake at this hour, despite the battle impending. His tent was not far from her own, and in no time at all she could make out the banner of Faerghus embroidered on the entrance through the darkness. Of course, the King’s tent was well guarded, but if the knights stationed by his tent for guard duty had anything to say about her visit, they kept their mouths shut. She tapped on the fabric of his tent, her hand somewhat shaky from unease. There was no turning back now.

“Come in.” He answered, with little hesitation. When she pulled back the flap, he seemed surprised at her presence, but quickly relaxed, even relieved. Dimitri’s tent was only slightly roomier than her own and nearly bare of belongings, save his armor and cloak tucked away neatly into the corner and a candle that still burned with faint light. He had been sitting on his bedroll reviewing a document, and other than his casual attire it was obvious that he had not even considered rest yet. “I wasn’t expecting you at this hour, but I’m glad it’s you. I was half expecting Dedue to come in and lecture me on needing my rest. I take it you can’t sleep as well?”

“Yes, I’m… a bit uneasy about tomorrow. I know it means the war is almost over, but I can only pray so much for people’s safety. I, um, wanted to talk to you about something before we have our final battle.” She hesitated, awaiting a response. “I had hoped my talk with Edelgard today would have gone better, so we wouldn’t be in this position… but I suppose it can’t be helped now. Come, sit. Tell me what troubles you.” He made space for her to sit down on the bedroll beside him, and she obliged.

With careful composure, she took a deep breath before revealing her thoughts. “I know we had talked about surviving the war, and I swear to you I will do everything in my power to see the end of this war with you. I just… In case something happens, I wanted to make sure I told you. I… care very deeply for you.” She took another deep breath before continuing, her eyes cast to the ground as her voice lowered to a whisper. “Goddess… I’m sorry. I’ve never been great with words or my feelings, but… I love you.” 

There was a moment of silence that felt like an eternity to Marianne that followed. The light was faint, but when she looked up she could tell that Dimitri was lost in thought, his good eye wide open in surprise. Finally, with a soft smile, he spoke.

“Marianne… you’re far braver than I.” She turned to him, confused an even more flustered than she had been before. “W-what do you mean by that?” He leaned in a bit closer, his hand cupping her cheek, the polite distance between them crossed. “You beat me to it - I’m sorry I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud to you before, I shouldn't have waited until now. I love you as well. Part of me was scared that you wouldn’t return my feelings, but… there was still a part of me that didn’t even think it was possible to be loved. You’re an exceptionally gentle soul, a beautiful and seemingly fragile flower. I’m a towering monster that only just learned how to be human again. I’ve… goddess, I’ve killed so many times.” His face had fallen, his overgrown hair falling in his face as he took her hands in his. “Even in war, you’ve always used your hands to heal… and mine are stained with blood. I didn’t think myself worthy of holding them. I was no better than a beast.”

His words made her flinch, but she squeezed his hands tighter. She had thought the same of herself not long ago, when he was a shining prince and she lacked the confidence to speak to anyone that wasn't an animal. “Dimitri… My hands are yours to hold. I just ask that you stop calling yourself a beast or a monster. It’s just not true. If that’s what’s holding you back… Even when you were gone or at your lowest moments, I held these feelings for you. A part of me even feared that your undoing was a part of my curse. Perhaps that was selfish of me to think that, but…” She paused. Marianne had not planned on confessing any more than her feelings that night, but she supposed that with the uncertainty of tomorrow there was no better time to share her greatest secret than on the eve of their final battle. Now that she had confessed and knew he returned her feelings, she was more comfortable sharing than she had ever been. If anything, he needed to know. “I never told you the full story about the true nature of my crest, did I?”

He looked up, his solemn look turning to subtle intrigue. He would have been lying if he said he had never been curious about her crest. “I only know that it brings misfortune, and that the burden of it was the source of much of your unhappiness. That much I understand, I didn’t want to press it any further if it pained you so.”  
She held out her arm and for the first time in years allowed her crest to manifest, glowing above her hand. “I bear the Crest of Maurice, a hero erased from history. It is also called the Crest of the Beast.” She concealed it once more as he looked intently at her. As the glow of the crest faded, she could see the recognition cross his face. Now he understood why she had been upset at his own self-deprecation. “Like Blaiddyd, my ancestor was one of the elites, but he was overcome by his power and transformed into a terrible monster, slaughtering thousands of innocents. His descendants that bore his mark were said to be cursed for his crimes.” She explained. “My parents disappeared almost ten years ago, and there has always been the occasional rumors of beasts roaming the forests of Edmund territory. No one could say what happened to them, but I lived in constant fear that I, too would become a beast in the literal sense. That was up until we freed Maurice’s soul… that day you saved me again in the woods.”

Dimitri remembered that day, albeit not as well as he should have. He didn’t remember the finer details of what happened between his escape from execution and when they had lost Rodrigue, before he had finally found himself again. His mind had been a flurry of emotion, driven almost exclusively by revenge and survival. When Marianne had gone out into the forest of beasts on her own, he had recklessly sprinted into the fog before the rest of the party sent to retrieve her, ready to throw himself away in the fray of another bloody battle. He had found her leaning back against a tree, her arm bloodied from a gash as the largest of the beasts towered over her, ready to land the final blow before he intervened to take on the beast himself.

For just a moment in his haze, he had known fear again. He knew now that it had been love, still buried deep inside him from his academy days.

Marianne continued, once again filling the silence. “You may have killed, but even in your vengeful state it was not entirely in vain. I’ve lived my life feeling as if I had to carry this burden… but you’ve helped me see that people are worthy of redemption. That I don’t have to bear the burdens of the past. I just hope that you can see that in yourself.”

When she looked at him again, his eye had welled with emotion, a single tear sliding down his cheek. “I will do better in the future to not let my past actions hold me back, for your sake and my kingdom’s. Thank you for sharing this secret with me. I.. I never thought you could understand me more than you already did.” Conscious of his own strength, he carefully pulled her in for an embrace, her arms wrapping around him in return. “Now that we know our true feelings for each other, I’m overjoyed that we could have this moment. Whatever happens tomorrow… I swear I will not give you any more reasons to grieve.” 

“And I swear I will do the same. I’m just… I’m so glad you feel the same way. Knowing you love me back… I’ve never been more determined to win this war.” They held each other for a moment before Dimitri pulled back, the blush on his face blending with the warm candlelight. “May I.. Kiss you?” And just like that, her smile returned with a quiet giggle. “By all means, yes.” 

They had kissed before; but it was no more than an occasional kiss on the hand, a peck on the cheek or forehead. Expressing affection hadn’t been easy for either of them until recently, but this moment was different and ultimately more fulfilling. Their lips met, and Marianne felt a feverish wave of emotion shock through her. She could feel the warmth of his cheeks in her hands as his own hands fell to her waist. They pulled each other closer, the gentle brush of their lips becoming more fierce with a mutual hunger. 

The passion of the moment dissolved when Marianne pulled away, stifling a yawn. The exhaustion of the day had caught up with them both, and only now she had finally relaxed enough that her body commanded sleep. “It’s getting late… I should probably return to my tent. You need your rest as well.”

“Actually, um…” Dimitri spoke, visibly tired and suddenly flustered. “You can stay here if you want to. That is, if you don’t mind. I actually think I’d sleep a little sounder knowing you’re close.”

If it were anyone else, Marianne would have questioned their motives, but she knew his offer had only pure intentions. In truth, she didn’t want to return to her tent either. She felt safer in his arms, and she wouldn’t have to be alone with her thoughts.

She smiled back at him, planting a kiss on his cheek before wordlessly laying down in the space he had made for her on the bedroll. He blew out the candle and took his place next to her, eventually settling down with her head on his chest, her arms stretching around his back. Certainly, she had considered that people might notice her leaving his tent tomorrow before dawn and make scandalous assumptions. It was the night before the penultimate battle of their journey. Surely, she thought, they would have better things to worry about when their lives were about to be on the line. It wouldn’t have surprised Marianne if similar conversations had been happening in the tents of their comrades.

His arms wrapped around her, and he placed a chaste kiss in her hair before bidding her good night. She could hear his heartbeat slow with his breathing, and it was not long before she also had fallen into a restful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't seen a ton of material for this ship compared to Dimitri's other pairings, but Marianne and Dimitri's supports/ending hit me so hard that it convinced me to write fanfiction for the first time! I hope I did them justice, I just want to see them happy ;^;
> 
> I've got a few more ideas for this ship as well as some others, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up writing more for Three Houses as I finish the other routes. I've been a fan of Fire Emblem for a long time, but I've been especially inspired by how hard intsys went on the worldbuilding and characters for this game. I'm deep in Three Houses hell and will probably not be getting out anytime soon, pls send help


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